Indonesian presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto has gained a substantial advantage over his nearest contender in a recent public opinion survey, despite the stir caused by his choice of President Joko Widodo’s son as his vice presidential candidate.
A poll conducted from October 27 to November 1 by Indikator Politik Indonesia, involving 1,220 individuals, revealed on Sunday that 39.7% of participants would cast their vote for Prabowo, a three-time presidential candidate, whereas 30% would support the incumbent party’s Ganjar Pranowo.
Previous polls from the same source had the two competitors in a close race, with Defence Minister Prabowo at 36.1% and former Central Java Governor Ganjar at 33.7%, according to the survey released on October 26. Anies Baswedan, the former Jakarta governor, was a far-off third.
Approximately 205 million of Indonesia’s population of over 270 million are eligible to vote in the February 14 elections, which will determine the successor to President Jokowi, as he is popularly known, after ten years in office.
These new surveys took place during a time when the spotlight was on the entry of Gibran Rakabuming Raka, Jokowi’s 36-year-old son, into the race following a Constitutional Court decision a few days prior that the minimum age requirement of 40 does not necessarily apply to all candidates.
Some political observers perceive Gibran’s participation as a tactic to preserve Jokowi’s political sway and to give Prabowo, a significant political figure, a boost by capitalizing on the outgoing leader’s large fanbase.
Jokowi has faced allegations from critics of manipulating the court, which is chaired by his brother-in-law, who was recently convicted by a judicial panel of ethics breaches for not disqualifying himself from a ruling that favored his nephew. Jokowi has refrained from responding to claims of interference.
Charta Politika, a pollster, published a survey last week showing Ganjar slightly ahead of Prabowo and some disapproval of Jokowi’s involvement in the presidential race and alleged meddling in the court verdict.
The latest poll indicates a significant rise in support from younger voters and Jokowi loyalists for Prabowo, boosted by Gibran’s presence on the ticket, according to Burhanuddin. He also noted that the survey suggested respondents were not particularly bothered by political dynasties.